Hoverfly

License type:

Rights Managed

Unique identifier:

SS2190219

Legacy Identifier:

SF2973

Description:

Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) resting on a poppy flower (Papaver rhoeas). This hoverfly mimics the appearence of a wasp. This deters predators, which associate black and yellow stripes with a wasp's painful sting. The hoverfly does not possess a sting, however. The mimicking of dangerous animals by harmless ones is known as Batesian mimicry. Photographed in the UK.